03/13/2026
Trisomy 13 Awareness Day
Trisomy 13, or Patau syndrome, is a severe genetic disorder caused by an extra copy of chromosome 13, resulting in ~1 in 6,000 to 29,000 live births. It causes profound intellectual disability and physical abnormalities, including heart defects, brain/spinal cord issues, cleft lip/palate, and extra fingers/toes. Due to critical health issues, most affected infants die within days or weeks, with only 5-10% surviving past their first year.